1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of playing card games and a game machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, table games such as poker or blackjack and baccarat are widely known which are performed by a plurality of players in gaming places such as Casinos. In recent years, a plenty of players have often enjoyed a variety of pokers such as a PAIGOW poker or a Caribbean Stud poker.
With the prevalence of gaming places and game arcades in recent years, game machines have been introduced which allow computers to take over a dealer in such games employing cards, such that players can casually enjoy the games as described above. In this game machine, the dealing of cards and the determination of what numbers or symbols of the dealt cards might be are executed by gaming machines executing programs. The players recognize what cards have been dealt by way of images of the cards displayed on the display devices such as liquid crystal displays, and perform game operation with the use of input devices. Such game machines are disclosed in US Published Patent Application No. 20070004512.
In addition, a game machine exists which is capable of accepting a side BET different from a normal BET. For example, in blackjack, in a case where one of the dealer's two cards, for example, a card “Ace” is faced up, the players can perform a side BET called “Insurance” in addition to a normal BET. In a case where “Insurance” is performed, the players can additionally make a first bet at half price. In a case where the dealer's hand is “Natural 21”, the amount of bet, which is twice of the side BET (insurance), is paid back.
In the Caribbean Stud poker, for example, a side BET is accumulatively stored as a progressive jackpot. The players can acquire all or part of the progressive jackpots in accordance with an established hand when performing a side BET in addition to an ante (a normal BET). Games for accepting the side BET are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,789,801, 5,711,525, and 6,874,786, for example.
Further, a game machine also exist which is capable of performing a PAIGOW poker. The rules of the PAIGOW poker are different from those of other pokers. First, seven cards are dealt to each of a plurality of persons consisting of a banker and players, and each of them divides the seven cards into a group of five cards and a group of two cards. The hands of five cards are compared with each other among the banker and the players. Similarly, the hands of two cards are compared with each other. The winner or loser of the game is determined only when at least one of the players has won in both of the above hands. The procedures for dividing the dealt cards into two groups exist, whereby the players are required to adopt a strategy different from those of other pokers, which becomes a kind of amusing attractiveness of the game.
However, in these card game and game machine, in general, if gaming is performed in one group of cards (52 cards may include a joker), only a predetermined small number of players could be participate. In the PAIGOW poker, for example, seven cards are dealt to each person, and up to only seven persons including the dealer and the players could participate. Because of the limited space of the gaming places, further, not so many input devices could be installed corresponding to gaming tables. In view of this fact also, only a limited number of players can participate in the games performed on gaming tables. Therefore, a need exists for the advent of new methods of playing card games and game machines without any limitation to the number of participants in games.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of playing card games and a game machine, having new entertainability, in which players can participate without a waiting time and which a large number of persons can use.